Nigerian Archbishop Ignatius AyauKaigama of Jos accused Western countries of forcing homosexuality, condom use, and non-Christian values “down the throats” of his fellow Africans. Archbishop Kaigama, who leads the country’s Catholic bishops called on Christians to remain faithful.

Speaking at a seminary this week, the archbishop said that “In Africa, whether it is about population control, use of condoms, homosexuality; sometimes, the views of the West are forced down the throats of Africans through financial inducement. Africans must not be copy cats, believing that whatever comes from the West is ideal.” He was speaking at a conference on health care and Catholic moral teachings.

“We must not be swallowed up by the tyrannical imposition of some governments or international non-governmental organizations who wish to dictate the moral trend of the world based on their secular values,” he added.

Archbishop Kaigama said that Catholic Church is often criticized by secularists because of its pro-life values, support for traditional marriage and sexual mores, and its objection to condom use. For example, the United Nations has often criticized Nigeria for its laws concerning homosexual behavior. In Nigeria, a law was recently signed that would impose a 14-year prison term for people who enter into a same-sex union and a 10-year sentence for anyone who aids in such a ceremony.

Archbishop Kaigama argued that Nigerians run the risk of losing their values and becoming “neither Africans nor Westerners.” Speaking to priests and seminarians, he added “We must be faithful to our religious heritage even at a time when some of the people who introduced Christianity to us have become its ardent critics and some of them nurture a pathological hatred for Church directives or moral judgments.”